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_what is it ? / how does it work ?_

BOOLEAN is a program which uses a webcamera to generate music. It was written in Processing using the Ess library.

The webcamera image is filtered, creating a black and white image. The image is divided into 12 rows and 16 columns, creating 192 boxes. A balloon floats over each box. The balloons rate of inflation depends on the amount of dark pixels in its box. When the balloon reaches a maximum size it pops, triggering a percussive sample. A new balloon of a different color takes the place of the popped balloon.

Each row is associated with a different note. BOOLEAN scans through each column from left to right. The size of each balloon determines the amplitude of the note being played. Different colored balloons produce different sounds; teal balloons produce no sound, pink balloons produce a triangle wave, and orange balloons produce a square wave.

Like the Theremin, BOOLEAN is a musical instrument which does not need to be touched in order to be played.